Facebook 'Dislike' Button Is a Scam, Security Expert Says

A "dislike" button has been on many Facebook users' wish lists, but a "dislike" app currently making the rounds on the social-networking site is actually a scam that will spread virally on your Facebook account.

A "dislike" button has been on many Facebook users' wish lists, but a "dislike" app currently making the rounds on the social-networking site is actually a scam that will spread virally on your Facebook account.

The app will "trick you into giving a rogue Facebook application permission to access your profile, posting spam messages from your account and asking you to complete an online survey," Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, wrote in a blog post.

The scam is spreading through users' status updates, so their friends will think the offer is legitimate. Some messages say "I just got the Dislike button, so I can dislike all of your dumb posts lol!!" (above) or "Get the official Dislike button NOW!"  followed by a link.

If you click on the link, you'll be forwarded to Facebook's permission-based approval menu, which will request access to your basic information, permission to post on your Wall, and access to your data at any time.

"If you do give the app permission to run, it silently updates your Facebook status to promote the link that tricked you in the first place, thus spreading the message virally to your Facebook friends and online contacts," Cluley wrote.

To get the actual "dislike" button, however, users have to fill out an online survey  which is how the scammers make their money. After that, users are pointed to a Firefox browser add-on developed by FaceMod, which will install the "dislike" button.

FaceMod, however, does not appear to be involved in the scam. "Their browser add-on is simply being used as bait," Cluley wrote.

Sophos has not verified the FaceMod app to see if it works, Cluley said, but if you are interested in using the company's app, it is advisable to download it directly from FaceMod and avoid links from Facebook.

During an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer last month, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the "dislike" button is "something that we would definitely think about," but he did not commit to adding it to the site.

"We're working hard to block and remove malicious applications that claim to provide dislike functionality and inadvertently update people's statuses," a Facebook spokesman said in a statement. "It's important to keep in mind that there is no official dislike button. Also, don't click on strange links, even if they are from friends, and notify the person and report the link if you see something suspicious."

FaceMod CEO Ron Sharpp said his company warned users not to download its dislike app from any third-party sites.

"Unfortunately, since our first release of just the Firefox plug-in, there have been several people or groups attempting to monetize our efforts via online surveys," Sharpp said in an e-mail. "We have received several support e-mails asking about the survey process. In response, we've taken efforts to remind our users that those are not official posts and warning users not to download any version of our add-on from an alternate source."

Sharpp said "scammers will always be out there," but assured users that FaceMod's releases are safe. "Being an avid techie myself, my aim is to never release anything that I would personally not install," he said.

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 2pm Eastern time with comment from Facebook, and again at 4pm with comment from FaceMod.

Chloe Albanesius has been with PCMag.com since April 2007, most recently as Executive Editor for News and Features. Prior to that, she worked for a year covering financial IT on Wall Street for Incisive Media. From 2002 to 2005, Chloe covered technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from American University...
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